


Volition

by XQF



Series: 20 Years before Canon [1]
Category: One Piece, The Card Apprentice
Genre: Gen, Male Protagonist, POV Alternating, POV Female Character, POV Male Character, POV Outsider, Rosenberg Card as cheat, Self-Insert, before canon, cheats, minor crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22819180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XQF/pseuds/XQF
Summary: When I told him my dream, My three-year-old little brother looked at me weirdly and said in a tone full of self-assurance, "As long as you believe that something is possible, it could be done."I was skeptical of the truth of what he says, but he continued "There is an axiom that succinctly describes the law of the world we lived in.""[When there was a will, there was a way]."............One Piece Self Insert where the primary point of view would not be from the SI but people around him. Dealing with a 'delusional' person who believes that their 'delusion' was the truth but didn't want to commit to it by himself and lead through example. Instead, he forced others to pioneer using his 'delusion' as guidance.(The SI knows that it's a fact in-universe that:A. Real Science doesn't matter, what matters is believing that your 'SCIENCE!' is plausible. Exhibit A: Fart-powered Cyborg.B. Real Physics is just helpful suggestions. Exhibit A: Geppou, Rankyaku, Soru, etc. Exhibit B: Busoshoku Haki.Too bad his mind was too entrenched in using his previous world's law as a fact and an immutable constant.)
Series: 20 Years before Canon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640398
Kudos: 22





	1. Aurorean Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposting from my other account since that place was too lonely and without any audiences and comments.
> 
> Timeline for the story.
> 
> Ohara got destroyed in Buster call sometime in the year of 1502 when Robin was 8. Robin debuted in canon at 28, So between Ohara destruction and Canon was about 20 more years.  
> Yord (The Teenager)was currently 14 y/o and Wuld (The Little Brother) was 4 y/o.

Ohara, November 09th, 1499

Pov: Hocha

* * *

  
The night had come down, engulfing the island with tranquility and a sense of peace. This day was a slow and particularly idle day so Hocha could get home earlier than she usually went.

On the way home, Hocha happened to overhear the sound of conversation drifting from somewhere.

She had intended to ignore the sound since she wanted to do all the delayed household chore she had been reluctant to finish this week, but some interesting words popped up that she couldn’t help but felt curious.

Eavesdropping was not polite things for a learned woman to do, but the word ‘Robin’ among other particular words made her approach the source of the sound.

She had to make sure that the talking people are not someone who intended to do harm to little robin, especially since she found out that the kids were calling little robin a devil and other nasty things after she had somehow found – and eaten – a devil fruit.

Hocha knew how vicious a group of kids could be toward someone they unanimously decided as an outsider, even if those outsiders were not intending to bother them or even join them.

It was already bad when she was just someone that didn’t have any parent or adult figure protecting her from harm, doubly so now when some adult on the island even showing blatant dislike to her because of little Robin’s devil fruit ability.

It took a bit of careful check using her hearing before she found out where the sound of conversation from. It came from behind a jutting part of the library tree’s root, beyond some couple of tens or so meter obstacle made of tangles of root that was a bit hard to get over.

She dithered, climbing over would mean that she could hear the sound better, but she would be too tired to do her chores when she got back.

She ultimately chose to climb up over the tangle of root and stopped halfway there when it became clear that the people conversing was not kids of the island plotting to hurt robin, but just a teenager? (If she was correct about the owner of the voice judging from the sound and the tone of his voice) teasing his very young little brother about his particular attention to Robin.

She was going to climb down and walk home when the topic moved to the little one pestering the teenager for some money to buy a book.

It was encouraging to hear someone wanted to walk the path of seeking knowledge and she would have definitely commend him for his attitude toward learning. But he made her really angry because he cursed and disparaged the professor and scholars of Ohara in his urgent pestering, saying that it was a waste leaving the book to them.

She was a member of the Ohara library, and she would not take that lying down.

She was invigorated and renewed her effort to traverse the obstacle, just so she could cuff him on the ear for the insult he spewed out of his mouth.

By the time she was near enough, only a couple of meters left to touch the jutting root, the sound of conversation became more complete and clear instead of petering out every time their volume went down.

"... blatantly and openly researching poneglyph! Bunch of dumb and foolish scholars!"

“What’s so dumb about researching it openly? Isn’t their ability to read poneglyph says a lot about their intelligence?”

‘Yeah, tell him that! Scold him until I could get there and told him off myself!’ Hocha backed the teenager up inwardly while huffing puffing, reaching the last root. She was so tired so she just fell down to her butt resting, trying her hardest to take a breath because her stamina was spent.

“There’s a reason why void history stays void history for 800 hundred years!” the little kid furiously replied with a higher pitch.

“Just calm down and take a deep breath, bro.” the teenager replied with the same calm unchanging tone. “You’re incoherent when you’re agitated.”

Hocha could hear the sound of someone taking a deep breath over her shallow exhausted breathing. ‘I need to do more exercise, ugh’. Before long the little brother spoke again.

“The poneglyphs were the only record leftover by ancient people, and it talked about what happened in the void century.” The little brother said with a forced calm tone. “The poneglyph stays when other records are destroyed because they are almost indestructible.”

‘That was kind of accurate summary... where did the little kid learn of it?’ Hocha wondered inwardly.

“The one who destroyed all the record was probably the celestial dragon and the world government.” The kid continued, while the teenager stayed silent.

‘Celestial dragon?’

“They wanted to keep everything happened at that time hidden. At all costs.” The kid paused. ”were the poneglyph something that could easily be destroyed, they would have made it that there were no poneglyph left!”

“Now, explain why you need a lot of money to buy all the book in the tree of knowledge over here instead of slowly reading – and borrowing it – bit by bit?”

“There is a connection, these dumbf... scholar openly researched the poneglyph...” “and?” “...and trying to tell the world the truth about the void century.”

Hocha recalled that it was the reason Olvia sailed the sea and left Robin on her aunt’s family that clearly disliked her. She also wondered what would the little kids said next to connect his needling to void century.

“The truth of void century would threaten the position and claim of the celestial dragon...” the kid snorted“...that they are the one who created the world or some other bulls..”

“Ah, you mean Ohara are going to be targeted by World govt., huh.”

“Yeah, that's it.” The kid huffed ”and when they don’t like something or they were threatened, they will be thorough in making sure that whoever threatened them wouldn’t be able to do that again.”

Hocha had heard the scrap of rumor where the world nobles do outrageous and unreasonable things, and just that scrap of knowledge is enough to make her shiver in fear. She tried to stand up but her strength failed, so she tried to pull herself up slowly using the tree of knowledge’s root’s bark.

“What do you think they are going to do?”

“They will definitely use the... what’s it called? The one where they exterminate the island and everybody living in it, razing it to the ground?”

“They had something like that...?” the teenager’s tone turned into a horrified whisper, and he suddenly focused his gaze on Hocha’s face when she stood up fully and can see the two conversing people.

“...Buster Call... they are going to use buster call on Ohara?” She looked at the little kid, trying her hardest to convey her hope that his conjecture would be proven false.

The kid whirled around in surprise and answered after smoothing his expression.”They would definitely use it. How did you even know what buster call is?”

“I... I heard a rumor...” she grimaced and take a deep breath before continuing ”Would you, would you two be willing to go with me to Professor Clover?”

The teenager stood up and chuckled lowly. When Hocha and the little kid turned their attention to him, he raised his eyebrow and gestured with both hands at Hocha.

“What?” the kid bit our in an annoyed tone while Hocha gave incredulous look at the incomprehensible act of the teenager.

“See, it would be better to discuss things instead of letting people do things but insulting them when you are sure that they are not listening...”

The little kid scowled at the teenager, before turning to Hocha who waited with bated breath “Sure, I’m free anyway.”


	2. Aurorean Part 2

Ohara, November 09th, 1499, Two Hour before Midnight

  
Pov: Hocha  
  


* * *

By the time she reached the Tree of Knowledge’s lobby, or as Roche put it, the entrance hall to the world of knowledge, Hocha felt bone-tired in a physical and mental sense. The teenager, or more accurately, the prepubescent that called himself Yord dropped her – gingerly – on one of the chairs scattered around the tables.

He didn’t even sweat carrying her from where they were to the Tree’s lobby  
  
Honestly, she had thought that those two kids had the secret way to reach the cleverly hidden place they conversed in. Turned out they just jump out and navigate the tangle of root using some protruding part as a footpath, reaching the dirt passage where she heard the conversation from easily.  
  
Even the little kid that looked younger than robin could traverse the difficult obstacle easily while she had to crawl and inch bit by bit to prevent injury.

It looked so easy that she, a young girl, er, a woman at the prime of her life, felt that she was already an infirm elderly. The feeling intensified when she stopped halfway to breathe and those two kids exchanged a brief silent conversation using facial expression and fast hand gesture.  
  
And then the teenager jumped closer as easy as it was before and picked her up easily, her weight didn’t even affect his balanced step on the protruding root.

At first, he was going to lift her up bridal style, and she made an amused comment inwardly on his gentlemanly behavior, but it didn’t work out surprisingly. She was too tall for him to carry that way. He then changed her position to be over the shoulder carry and went to the tree of knowledge in a fast-paced jog.  
  
The journey was a bit long, and in an effort to avert awkward silence, she tried to converse with Yord – who named himself on the way - with much difficulty from the way she was being carried and the speed he went for.  
  
And then she was here, sitting in the lobby, trying to catch her breath. ‘Why does being carried could still feel so exhausting... Just what did they feed kids these days’ she idly wondered while looking at the two kids who didn’t have the decency to look winded for solidarity.  
  
From deeper inside, Roche and Gram walked out, carrying a box of something while conversing in and trading genial jokes.

When they caught the sight of her – currently trying her best to put the air back into her body like a landed fish – and her two current companions, they walked closer with the same pace as before.  
  
“Hocha. I thought you’re going to make sure you had a plate to use when you want to eat next day,” Roche started before pausing for a bit to smile at Yord who was walking closer,”...and a place to lie down on the floor lazily without sneezing from dust.” He finished teasingly.  
  
“Hey kid, what’d you need?” Gram only glanced briefly at her before addressing Yord who was meanwhile inspecting what they currently carried.  
  
“Where is professor Clover?” Hocha asked from her position, still draped on the chair in a careless manner.  
  
Roche raised his eyebrow at her and glanced sideways at Yord and gram before looking back over his shoulder, pointing backward with his thumb. “in his office, I guess? Probably doing another ‘casual’ reading, like usual”.  
  
Hocha tried to stand but her legs were still wobbly so she sat back down again “Could you call...” she paused, changing her word “Could you bring these two to meet him, It... kinda urgent, I think.”  
  
Roche smiled indulgently at her before nodding to agree with her pleas... demands. He headed to the conversing pair sitting on the table nearby who spoke animatedly while occasionally gesturing and touching the content of the box and their conversation paused.  
  
After a bit of short and barely inaudible conversation, Yord stood and followed Roche inside. Hocha thought that he would speak alone but halfway to the door he stopped to call his little brother over and both continued to follow Roche.  
  
There was only her and Gram left on the lobby, and she can see that there was a glint of curiosity on his eye. But instead of asking her what had happened, he patiently waited, sitting calmly in silence. The thoughtfulness that he gave her made her exhausted self felt calmer.  
  
“Thanks for waiting, Gram.”  
  
“Sure,” Gram replied with an understanding smile and continued, “I would be feeling unhappy if I was in your position and someone couldn’t wait to ask until I could recompose myself.”  
  
She took a deep breath before starting, “I’m... worried about Olvia.”  
  
“This? Those two kids bringing news about her?”  
  
“No, it was...” she stopped, and tried to put her words in order, “The world government barely tolerated our research over Archaeology, and we sent a contingent of researchers to seek Poneglyph outside...”  
  
“What brought this on?”  
  
“Do you remember the rumor about buster call?”  
  
“But It isn’t something that will happen in west blue...?” Gram paused briefly before suddenly focusing his gaze on her. “You mean they would consider leveling this island to the ground if they now Olvia and others are looking for Poneglyph outside?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“But that’s absurd...”  
  
“It somehow escaped our thoughts that the one who erased the void century was still monitoring everything closely and would overreact instead of quietly letting it all fade together into history... and they thought that it was imperative for them to keep it that way to preserve their position and power...”  
  
“But it just didn’t make sense that...” Gram paused in contemplation before sighing resignedly “it’s the Celestial Dragon, huh. That’s the only unreasonable party that I could imagine calling buster call on us...”  
  
For a time, they both lapsed into silence, Hocha busy with her own thought while Gram sat in contemplative silence. The second grows into minutes but she didn’t want to break the silence, instead preferring to stare into the door leading deeper in the library of the tree of knowledge.  
  
There was a sound of footsteps coming closer and the door opened, letting through Roche and the two kids. The only glanced briefly at Hocha and Grams’ direction, with only Yord waving at them as a sign of acknowledgment before walking into the exit.

Roche walked behind them with a slow pace and somber expression, turning to their direction and sat next to Gram’s seat before he spoke.  
  
“We’re... going to call those people who went to the sea back, and made them to urgently head home”  
  
When there was no answer to his sudden proclamation, Roche smiled to himself, muttering” I guess Hocha had told you the bare bones, huh, Gram?”  
  
“Hmm”  
  
“The kids were pretty convincing... it was something that sounds like paranoia, but he was very persuasive” He cast his sight on both Hocha and Gram successively, peering into their gaze in utmost seriousness. “He also knew many things that only people who can read Poneglyph and few other know...” he sighed a long forlorn sigh “the ancient weapons...”  
  
“What of it?” Gram jolted in his seat.  
  
“He says that we will be vilified, accused of trying to make one of those ancient weapons using our ancient language knowledge.”  
  
“Knowing things that he shouldn’t know?” Hocha mused slowly before realizing “that was almost similar to the account on one of our travel log about seer...”  
  
“Yeah...” Roche nodded before continuing “at the very least, Professor Clover decide that we should make preparation to evacuate all of our books and made duplicates if it need be.”  
  
The two people mulled that information in their thought, and the night lapsed into silence once more.


	3. Aurorean Part 3

Ohara, November 10th, 1499  
  
PoV: Yord.  
  


* * *

The humongous Tree of Knowledge and its lush green leaves was still visible even from where he sat on the beach. Its an admittedly amazing scenery to see in the morning, giving somewhat a calm and peaceful feeling.

Yord was feeling so relaxed like there was no problem that would ever weigh him down. Doubly so now that his little brother stopped being highly strung and tense.  
  
It was very distracting, more distracting than his usual restless exercising. He’s accustomed to seeing Wuld moving his body until exhausted, be it from running around or doing his strange gymnastic exercises.

He was really worried that if things continued in the previous direction, Wuld would make another rash and reckless decision again.  
  
Like how he was here. Stowing away on a ship Yord was getting a free ride on because their parent prevented him to go. Yord did feel annoyed since he had to make a promise to his uncle who owned it that he would help loading and unloading goods for free before he was allowed to board.  
  
All of that happened just because Yord accidentally let out that one of the destinations of the cargo ship was Ohara when he talked about his plan with their parent. Wuld who usually held his own pace in doing everything insisted to be allowed to come with him.

When their parent refused on account that he was still a little child – not even 5 yet – he stopped doing his daily weird exercise and silently brood.  
  
Everybody believed that the matter was over, but halfway into the journey one of his uncle’s men found Wuld stowed away by hiding on one of the freshwater barrels.

It’s really fortunate that uncle had a denden mushi that could connect to the one in his office on the island so that he could contact his parent that both of their sons was on the ship instead of just one.  
  
The trouble didn’t stop right there. He was so impatient to land in Ohara that he jumped down and swum promptly toward the island when the ship had some trouble anchoring because of the small dock owner’s mistake.

His uncle who didn’t quite get Wuld’s daily unreasonableness almost had a heart attack, fearing that Yord’s father and mother would blame him for what happened to Wuld – he had thought that Wuld fell over instead of jumping down by himself.  
  
Seriously, how come Wuld become so wild like this when he looked like a good and obedient kid back home? Next time their parent wouldn’t be able to brag that he was easy to raise children whose only weirdness was his love of exercise and lack of social activity.  
  
At least his uncle could get his fun in teasing Wuld when he met, helped and cordially talked with the little girl who was bullied for eating a Devil Fruit. Isn’t this island named Ohara, the island who was famous for its Tree of Knowledge? Yord wondered incredulously. Treating someone who ate a Devil Fruit as a devil was something that supposedly done by a resident of a backward place who thought that devil fruit was a myth.  
  
The other alternative reason for their bullying would be because her ability to grow limb was something freaky, but Yord thought that it was something that was more laughable.

He wouldn’t mind trading his swimming ability for something like having an extra limb to do his chores faster or saving time by doing a couple of different things together at the same time.  
  
He also idly wondered if a chopped off limb could be grown back and wouldn’t dissolve ever even if she was submerged on water. And could someone survive a decapitation by growing a new head?

The devil fruit was something that was really interesting, that was why he sat there on the beach reading the devil fruit encyclopedia he borrowed from those guys on the Tree of Knowledge.  
  
Usually, after something big and troublesome – that involved him – like what happened last night happened, he would go down hiding. He would avoid the place and never take a risk in getting involved with the aftermath until he was sure it was already over.

But he happened to see the encyclopedia on one of the shelves on the tree, and he just had to read it, no matter what.  
  
Fortunately, those people on the tree didn’t make a fuss when he borrowed it, even okaying him to read it outside as long as he didn’t take it off the island. It looked like what happened last night really spooked them, and they were busy since the morning doing a lot of things that he didn’t care to find out.  
  
And right then he was content reading the book in a sense of relative peace, at least until Wuld came back from his exercise and try to bother him again. He had exercised enough, thank you. now it was time for rest and relaxation.


	4. Aurorean Part 4

Ohara, November 10th, 1499, Afternoon  
  
PoV: Yord.  
  


* * *

The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was a riveting and stimulating read. The details were sparse and not every fruit was illustrated, but that description was enough to send Yord’s imagination to fly freely into happy land.

He kept reading and didn’t move from the place he sat even if the sun had moved and it beamed down at him with very bright and hot intensity. While he was still reading the section about snake model Zoan Devil Fruit, there was a shadow that fell on him.  
  
He looked up to find that it was Wuld coming back from wherever he went exercising. He looked down at him and briefly read what he currently read before raising his eyebrow.  
  
“Devil Fruit?”  
  
“Yeah, I happened to see this encyclopedia yesterday. It looked interesting so I borrowed it this morning,”  
  
“Anything you found interesting?” Wuld dropped down to sit in front of him and stretched his legs.  
  
“Yeah, I read about the strange one that made the user become a syrup, and it was categorized as Logia. That was weird.”  
  
“Logia, huh. I used to think that it was only for elements.”  
  
“Yeah, it was so strange that some fruit was just blurring the line between Logia and Paramecia.”  
  
“At least Zoan was simple, turning into animals... and turning into humans too, becoming a Buddha”  
  
“ [Buddha] Buddha? that kind of Buddha? Who ate it?”  
  
“Marine... Admiral, I think. Sengoku.”  
  
“Buddha is a Zoan?” Yord wrinkled his nose, tasting the strangeness of the idea on his mind.  
  
“Yeah, and it was categorized as Hito Hito no Mi model Daibutsu.”  
  
Yord looked at Wuld in disbelief before flipping the pages of the encyclopedia, searching for the exact entry about Hito Hito no Mi. It wasn’t long before he found it.  
  
“Huh, that’s really weird. What’d you think would happen if a human ate a basic Hito Hito no Mi?”  
  
“Who knows? Anyway, you want to have a Devil Fruit power?” Wuld asked, narrowing his eye and tilting his head.  
  
“I considered it. It sounded neat, you know?”  
  
“What kind of Devil Fruit would you choose if you could?”  
  
Yord paused to gather his thought before answering.“That’s difficult. There were so many interesting Devil Fruit, and I could only eliminate half of Zoans and very little of Paramecias.”  
  
“So many interesting fruit making you indecisive?”  
  
“Of course, you can only have one in your entire life after all. There were just too many that sounded interesting. If I could pick and choose what I like, I would definitely have difficulties in choosing in a short period.”

Yord then started to list all the Devil fruit he found interesting and what he imagined he would do if he ate them.  
  
Wuld occasionally chimed in and propose unique usage that made their conversation become more engaging. They spend an hour or so talking animatedly before suddenly Wuld asked Yord’s opinion on one of Paramecian devil fruit.  
  
“What do you think about Suke – Suke no Mi?”  
  
“Suke - Suke? The invisibility one? It’s okay. But it’s not an especially attractive one to trade for losing the ability to swim.”  
  
“Are you sure? Just imagine what it could be used...”  
  
The expression Wuld had in his face looked like he’s waiting for a particular answer. It honestly felt like Yord was being set for a pitfall. He mulled al his response inside briefly before answering.  
  
“it’s something that would make the user and what he holds invisible, right? I guess it could be used to smuggle things... but since it needs the user’s touch and conscious decision to make things invisible, it would make things harder than it should be...”  
  
“Anyway, I would consider it if it were also going to make me intangible. Wait, intangible and undetectable to all manner of senses.”  
  
“Usually anyone who wanted it will use it to peek on woman’s bathroom.”Wuld let out what he aimed to hear from Yord in a distrustful expression while Yord suddenly felt that he had to pay back Wuld in teasing.  
  
“Ah, so that’s it. Wuld, you are too young to do something like that. If you took a peek at robin while she was bathing, she would hate you, you know.”Yord advised his little brother, hiding his baiting intention while Wuld’s face was making an amusing expression like someone being told to smell shit.  
  
“Let me tell you, little brother...” Yord stepped near and slapped Wuld’s back in a brotherly gesture as shown by Olga and Bolga back at the island.  
  
“What’s with you! Ugh!”Wuld dodged away and swatted Yord’s hand every time it went closer.  
  
“Real men don’t peek like a coward! A real man bravely asks to see upfront!” Yord declared loudly, complete with a cool convincing pose.  
  
“Where did you get the confidence to declare something like that...”Wuld’s face distorted like when he was seeing worm inside an apple he bit, and he shook his head mockingly. “You haven’t even had your puberty yet, so you couldn’t possibly make that kind of conclusion yourself.”  
  
“Ohh, Gorlinda scolded someone who peeked on her bathing and said something along that line...”  
  
“Seriously? Someone want to peek on that, that goril...” “*cough*” “...exotically shaped woman?”  
  
“Well, different people, different taste, as your usual excuse” Yord paused before smiling and asserted confidently “Besides, I might not have experienced puberty yet, Wuld, but I can definitely give you a relationship pointer!”  
  
“Stop that, Yord! That topic is already getting stale and moldy.” Wuld scowled before crossing his arm in a huff. “On the scale where 0 is apathetic and 10 is hopelessly smitten, my affection level to Robin is only at somewhere between 3 and 4, you know?”  
  
“C'mon, Wuld! You like her enough to consider peeping on her while she was bathing...”Yord teased happily.  
  
“Where did you get that conclusion?”  
  
“Well... you said people would use Suke – Suke fruit to peep,” Yord paused before continued leadingly “I wouldn’t believe that you had ever been off the island, not yet...”  
  
“So?”  
  
“Little brother, people on our island might be somewhat informed of what happens at the sea and the world at large, but the most they know was that devil fruit exists and it was not a myth...”  
  
“Well, I had heard people saying that they want to turn invisible and peek on what happens at the women’s side,” Wuld huffed and looked aside, briefly before looking back at Yord and said in an arrogant and self-assured tone. “Anyway, I didn’t need a Devil Fruit to be strong and near undefeatable in all kinds of terrain!”  
  
Yord could retort and strongly argue on the impossibility of a normal baseline human in beating up a Logia fruit user, let alone harm them, but he preferred to tease Wuld further.

It’s not every day that he could witness a flustered Wuld trying to defend himself from being associated with an uncomfortable topic like versions of perversion, so he had to enjoy it as much as possible for all the bothering he did.  
  
“Well, I get that.” Yord began in an understanding tone, before smirking down and said in a good-natured teasing tone. “You’re definitely just feeling embarrassed for thinking a perverted thought...”  
  
“You’re incorrigible, brother...” Wuld scoffed in disgust and walked away, but he didn’t forget to look back and scowling at him a couple of times before he disappeared behind the bend in the distance.  
  
Yord shook his head in amusement before finding someplace to sit in the shade and continued to read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.


	5. Aurorean Part 5

Ohara, November 11th, 1499  
  
PoV: Yord.  
  


* * *

After exercising in the morning with Wuld like usual, Yord went to the Tree of Knowledge. This was the last free day before his uncle’s ship would sail away from Ohara, so he would make sure to have as much fun as possible by getting some interesting book to read.

Normally he would have fun by doing something else, but because Ohara had a Tree of Knowledge, he thought it might not be so bad to pass the time by reading things.  
  
With the library that big, he thought it would be plausible to get something like a travel log or record of interesting account at sea that he hasn’t read back at the island.  
  
The people inside were still busy, but they are not as tense and nervous as the day before. the girl who led him to meet the professor with the strange hair yesterday – Hocha, if he was not wrong – was sorting books in one of the aisles by herself.

He was going to walk deeper but he paused and walk her way. He didn’t know where the location of the kind of book that he wanted to read so he might as well ask her instead of trying to find it himself.  
  
He could have tried to ask the direction from other scholars and researchers inside, but it would be awkward and Hocha was a familiar face. When he was about 5 meters away, she found out that he was near, paused doing her book sorting and looked upward from her crouching position near the shelf.  
  
“Hey, Hocha, was it?”  
  
“Yes, I am” she knitted her eyebrow and lifted one corner of her lips “We met just two days ago and you’re already starting to forget my name?” when he smiled sheepishly she continued, “What do you need, Yord?”  
  
“I am bored and wanted to read something interesting.” He paused to take out the encyclopedia he borrowed yesterday and showed the book to Hocha.”And where do I place this one? I had finished reading it.”  
  
“Just put it above that stack.” She gestured to the stack at the end of the aisle and changed her position to sitting with a crossed leg on the ground, left elbow at her knee and the palm holding up her chin. “What kind of book?”  
  
“Something fun, like a storybook, collection of strange tales at sea, or a travel log...” he crouched down near Hocha after putting away the encyclopedia. ”What’d you recommend?”  
  
"There are tales of Mont Blanc Noland in that stack, along with other books of the same kind.” She gestured absent mindedly, having gone back to sorting the book while Yord was putting away the encyclopedia.  
  
“I think I’ve read it before, along with the story about sora or something, fighting gamma? 66 or whatever that evil organization’s name.”  
  
"Well. The section where we put travel log and strange stories are on the other side of the building,” she paused to look at him and smiled wryly, “if you’re asking for a recommendation from me... well, I am a bit busy right now.”  
  
Yord considered things for a moment before offering,” Do you want some help?”  
  
“Ah, it’s not necessary, it will be a bother to you...” she looked up, surprised at his offer and inspected Yord’s expression before continuing ”Well if you really want to. You could ask the other that wasn’t occupied doing things about their recommended fun read though.”  
  
“It’s fine, I’m bored anyway.”  
  
She fixed her gaze at him for a period time before smiling and rummaged for something hidden under the pile of book in her left. “here’s how we’re going to sort this, take out the one listed in this notebook and put it away in that pile” she took away a notebook with wrinkled leather cover.  
  
“Okay, then?”  
  
"Then the leftovers were going to be sorted by the title, and put it together in that pile” she gestured toward the farthest stack of books. “If you have any trouble, ask for my help!” she finished her instruction, pushed the leather notebook at Yord and went back to sort the shelves adjacent to her seating place.  
  
Yord opened the notebook and inspected the list written inside. He read it carefully while referencing the book that was still neatly arranged at the shelf.

He looked behind him at the various pile of sorted books that have been taken away from the shelves before closing the notebook and starting from the rightmost shelves.  
  
Before long, the sound heard from the aisle was the sound of the book page being flipped and the sound of the book that was placed in their respective pile.

When he had taken away one shelf and intended to continue to the adjacent, he heard Hocha talking to him, asking about something in a hushed tone.  
  
“Is your brother a seer?”  
  
“Seer?”  
  
“Someone who can predict the future.”  
  
Yord glanced at Hocha, one eyebrow raised. When he saw that Hocha was being serious, he contemplated her question before answering “I don’t think so.”  
  
“He knows what’s the name of the ancient weapon written inside the poneglyph.” Hocha said in an inquiring tone.  
  
Yord shrugged“he had a lucky guess?”  
  
Hocha raised one of her eyebrows at him but otherwise didn't say anything.  
  
“He might say something that made sense sometimes, but the other times... he’s spouting a lot of unbelievable things."  
  
The conversation stopped for a while before Yord asked. “What’s the update on your situation?”  
  
After being quiet for a while, Hocha answered.”...We still couldn’t get the contingent of scholars who had sailed away about four years ago. Professor said that we might end up using your brother’s scapegoat scenario” she said dejectedly.  
  
When Yord wanted to continue the conversation, someone walked by. It was Professor Clover, he walked slowly in an absent-minded way, looking a bit lost like someone who had too much problem in his thought.  
  
“Hey, Professor,” Hocha called out to him while Yord only nodded in acknowledgment when Professor Clover turned his face their way.  
  
“Hocha, Young man Yord.” Professor Clover acknowledged their greeting before continuing toward wherever he was heading. After a couple of steps, he paused to look back over his shoulder at Yord. ”Young man, might I know where your little brother is?”  
  
Yord shrugged and lifted both of his arms halfway at the side of his body.“I don’t know, maybe somewhere on the island.” Yord tilted his head, continuing “Do you need me to tell him that you were looking for him?”  
  
“Yes, I wanted to talk to him again,” Professor Clover smiled wrily “ It was not urgent, though.”  
  
“Tomorrow morning we’re sailing away.” Yord told him and continued before Professor answered: “I’ll get him to see you this afternoon.”  
  
“Thanks, Youngman Yord.” Professor Clover smiled before walking away.


	6. Aurorean Part 6

Ohara, November 12th, 1499  
  
Pov: Hocha

* * *

After the professor decided on the plan and the path we would tread yesterday afternoon, Hocha and the other scholars of Ohara pulled an all-nighter to finish the preliminary preparation. They had sorted the book and the knowledge that urgently needed to be preserved and had beginning to pack it as cargo at the sunrise.  
  
They negotiated an arrangement with the shipowner to carry the cargo to the island where Wuld and Yord lived. It was not the optimal path, but they had decided to follow through with the plan to make sure that knowledge passed down for countless years would not perish together with them.  
  
They would also send some of the scholars together with the cargo to arrange the books’ safety and the place where they would hide and preserve them on the island. Before a permanent building could be arranged, they would place the cargo on the warehouse or other temporary places.

Some of the scholars – who were boarding the ship together with the cargo of books to ensure the safety of the books and to make sure it didn't get damaged from any lack of care – would take turns to care for the book while the other would secure land, building, and other necessities.  
  
It would be hard to do, but the shipowner Shinda – who actually was Yord’s uncle – promised to help them in way of manpower and connection to make sure that the proper permanent place for what would be their books’ safe house could be built as soon as possible.

After that, both the Professor and the Ship Owner spend the next hour hammering the detail for the cooperation while the scholars made a discussion among themselves to decide on who would be chosen to go with the cargo.  
  
Hocha volunteered in the first couple of minutes, while Rint and Busshiri were chosen after a prolonged debate.

Not that they didn’t want to go, just they were someone with responsibilities toward other people and their own families, while Hocha had lived by herself after she went here to Ohara to learn knowledge.  
  
It didn’t take long for Hocha to pack her belonging, picking only what was necessary and putting away the rest. She was glad she had proceeded with her plan to clean and tidy up her house after she was delaying it the day that she brought the brothers to Tree of Knowledge.  
  
By the time she went back to the Tree of Knowledge to help other scholars to sort what would be packaged in the first wave of evacuated cargo, it was already nearing midnight. Rint and Busshiri still haven’t come back even until the dawn comes and lighting the dark night sky with a patch of gorgeous red and orange light.  
  
They just finished packing a cargo of book when Yord came with other people from the ship. He went to help pick up the cargo and load it to the ship.

It was very strange to see a teenager with the size of muscle that was smaller than the other people with him lifting a cargo by himself while the other people need to group up to even be able to lift one.  
  
They could only put six packages into the ship for their first cooperation with the shipowner since he already had other cargo that he had promised other people to take care of.

The distance between the Tree of Knowledge and the Dock was not too far, but the terrain made the journey slow enough that they reached the ship by the time other inhabitants of the island started their daily routine.  
  
There was a bit of commotion when the passerby was curious about what was the business between the scholars and the cargo ship people but people started to disperse when they know what it was they are carrying.

But some people still wanted to watch and by the time they lifted up the cargo to the ship, there was a sizable crowd of curious onlooker on the dock.  
  
The crowd split up briefly when it looked like there was someone who wanted to go through them. Turned out that it was Robin who ran out from the crowd to the ship, and did a tackle hug on Yord’s little brother from behind. He looked startled, both of his arms about to do something before aborting it and relaxed his posture.

He looked back at robin with a grimace that turned to a helpless smile when she kept hugging him while mumbling a lot of things under her breath.  
  
“Look at that, Robin found a friend that she was okay with.” Busshiri came out from the crowd following robin with a calm pace commenting with a teasing smile while walking to the ship over the plank connecting it to the dock.  
  
He looked like he hadn’t slept a wink since yesterday, and he had eye bags under his small circular eyes. He still wore the same clothes he wore yesterday, the one he wore with more frequency than the other clothes he has. It was a white shirt with the word "Bomb" written on it – there was a new sauce stain on it – under a wrinkled yellow jacket.

He brought a heavy big bag that was visible over his wide shoulders. His wife trailed behind him, a small smile adorning her face. She fussed over him for a while before coming down back to the shore, standing there looking at her husband still on the ship.  
  
Hocha looked back at the spectacle Robin made and smiled. ”It’s good that they could be friends.” She sighed and held her cheek. “I was worried when the kids on the island started avoiding her.”  
  
“Maybe after we succeed in what we planned, she would have a possibility in experiencing the childhood that she’s been denied.” Rint came over through the crowd and stood near them next to the starboard. It was easy to think of him as a boorish insensitive person when looking at her outward appearance.

But those who knew her found out that there was a gentle heart beyond the form of a severe middle-aged overweight woman.  
  
She took off her reddish-purple hat and fanned herself with it while continuing her words when Hocha and Busshiri kept their silence. “Well, her aunt didn’t like her, the kids avoided her recently, and the only adult in her life was us.”

She continued with a lower tone and sad expression. “I bet she’s thinking that if she learned a lot of things her mother would bring her instead of leaving her here on the island.”  
  
“If the Professor’s plan succeeded, she would be able to be together with her mother Olvia.” Busshiri added with a slight smile curling the side of his lips.  
  
Hocha considered things for a second before saying her bits. “I think things would change for the better after this”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Written on the news coo edition of March 1501, on the part of Current Event on West Blue; “The Tree of Knowledge on the island or Ohara was attacked by extremist, there was a great amount of book passed down from countless years past which was burnt down and destroyed.”  
  


* * *


	7. Ember Part 1

Toroa, May 21st, 1500  
  
PoV: Hocha  
  


* * *

Hocha didn’t want to wake up right then, but she fell asleep last night on the floor near the curtainless window. Her head was right in the path of the beam of sunlight and the searing light that fell on her eyelids forced her to be awake.

Fortunately, she didn’t drink too much alcohol last night, or she would’ve really felt so miserable.  
  
After stretching her sore muscles, she stood up and steps over the drunks and incapacitated people strewn across the floor in a haphazard manner. Some of the slumbering people’s pose was so amusing that she had to stop and hold her mouth shut.  
  
Like the pose taken Zadie and Roche. Both are having a problem with the other in their daily life. But now after a night of revelry, they were snuggling affectionately, nuzzling their cheek toward each other. She just can’t wait for the fallout when they woke up later.

And Gram looked like he was an earthworm with the way he was squirming without moving any of his limbs. It looked like he dreamed of trying to escape something that he feared.  
  
It’s not like Hocha was a sadistic person having fun when other people were suffering, but Gram was a bit strange. Whenever he was having a nightmare and somebody woke him up instead of letting him be, he would be listless for the rest of the day until he fell asleep again.  
  
Honestly, she could have let herself go and laugh out loud, and it would be better than holding her mouth trying not to fall asleep.

But she knew enough that were she be the one on the ground, she wouldn’t appreciate any loud sound. So she stepped gingerly over the sleeping peoples and went outside the building as carefully as possible to minimize the disturbance.  
  
By the time she reached the entrance and opened the door to step outside, it was already mid-morning and she could see the town in the distance was bustling with people going to and fro, everybody walking with a stride full of toward their destinations. It was a similar yet different view from back in the Island of Ohara.  
  
  


* * *

It had only been half a year since they decided to evacuate the ‘dangerous book and subversive knowledge’ from the Tree of Knowledge. Everybody had been resigned to the possibility that they might not have much time since they still couldn’t reach the scholars who sailed away to seek poneglyph.

They only felt pride for them back then when they departed Ohara, but the newfound knowledge that researching poneglyph and knowing ancient knowledge is enough to be criminalized suddenly made the pride turned into regret.  
  
The worry over the researcher still on the sea being caught by the government while they still hadn’t finished their preparation is making everybody very tense and nervous.  
  
But even so, no one wanted to skimp on the library construction by repurposing a building or constructing the library in a place near habitation and easy transportation.

They marked the place where they would construct the library in the mountainous region a twenty or so kilometer from the nearest habitation, just in case the trouble of poneglyph research hadn’t abated.  
  
The construction of the library was slated to be more than a year-long process and they were prepared to keep the cargo full of books in the warehouse for the duration of the construction.

But a good thing happened, it turned out that a year or more is just a conservative estimate according to the normal speed rate of ordinary builders.  
  
At the start, they only carry materials from the nearest town using a donkey cart through the uneven trail leading to the building site but then Wuld commissioned a strange handcart with only one wheel toward the blacksmith.

Suddenly the speed of transferring material become faster when there was a long trail of people pushing material in their cart instead of waiting for the donkey cart to reach the destination.  
  
And then Wuld proposed to make a mechanized saw to harvest trees in the mountain instead of using an ax or two-person crosscut saw or felling saw.

The scholars who had a weak constitution and could only give a limited amount of help in constructing the library jumped out at the chance to research a tool and any way to help lighten the load of the builders. Anytime they felt too tired to help, they would gather and discuss what kind of tool they made next.  
  
And before long, they could get material from nearby instead of having to go down the mountain to get it. The builders and the helper send by the shipowner worked faster with their high morale over a new tool that made their job become easier. And that was before Yord came over to help.

Those people suddenly become invigorated and became impassioned by the sight of a prepubescent carrying more load and doing the job more efficiently than they did.  
  
Especially since they knew Yord from before and found out - through incessant questioning of "How did you get so strong?" - that the difference between them was just an effort, not because Yord had a more nutritious food or secret technique to make him strong.

They were shouting over each other and psyching themselves with saying: “If Yord can do it, why can’t we?” and if there was anyone among them who did their job with normal pace, they would gather up to mock him, saying: “Ham what a wimp, carrying less than a kid!”.  
  
And then suddenly everybody become competitive and the pace of the construction hastened, overtaking the estimated time they made in the building plan.  
  
Hocha was of an opinion that each people had their own strength and weakness, and being inflamed by jealousy seeing a kid being stronger than them was unnecessary. After all, it was very clear Yord – and Wuld – was someone outside the curve.  
  
But she kept her silence since the faster they built things, the less the anxiety she would feel over the possibility of the fate Wuld outlined to Professor Clover should they kept to their original path back in Ohara.

It’s not like those builders made a sloppy job over it, so she only smiled and helped where she can.  
  
And then finally most of the building done in the last week, culminating into the party they throw last night. Everybody had gathered together to make merry and felt one less burden hovering over their shoulder.


	8. Ember Part 2

Toroa, May 21st, 1500  
  
PoV: Hocha  
  


* * *

It had been fun last night, partying and celebrating for the completion of the new library, and Hocha understood that the level of happiness they achieved in finishing such a massive building in a span of half a year would definitely make them went over the line in celebration.

But looking at the aftermath of the party made Hocha crinkle her nose in disgust. Cleaning a massive building like this didn’t look really tempting.  
  
Hocha didn’t spare another glance before walking away from the vicinity, afraid that if she were to delay, someone would force her to stay to help in cleaning up. She was someone who would delay something absolutely necessary like cleaning and tidying up her own living place.

Being forced to help up in this situation would be very awful for her sensibility.  
  
She didn’t need to bother feeling guilty for ditching everybody else to do the cleanup, especially because she knows that she wasn’t the one dirtying the place.

That was what Hocha kept telling herself as she walked down the mountain following the path that had been widened and flattened by the countless passing peoples for the span of half a year.  
  
The path down the mountain had been an uneven animal trail that meandered here and there. But by the necessity of the people building the library, the path had been widened, and the obstacle in the path dug out and removed so that the trail could be straightened.

And after they built the mechanical saw, all the trees surrounding them had been cut down for the material and also to make space.  
  
Before, Hocha couldn’t see past the trees surrounding the trails. Now, she could see the clump of building in the town twenty kilometers away from the mountain clearly, and she could also make out the shape of its inhabitants.

Hocha deliberated for a moment whether mingling with the townspeople would be enough as a reason to ditch cleaning up before she decided that it was better to find something else to do even as she kept walking in the direction of the town.  
  
Along the path, there was a collection of sheds built to house the newly built machinery that they used to hasten the construction of the library. The sheds were hastily built, and while they might not have been equipped with lock and key, they were usually closed after usage at the end of the day.  
  
But as Hocha walked past them, her sight paused on one of the sheds that had its door opened slightly. Hocha found the sight to be slightly peculiar so she walked in closer to investigate. When she opened the door wide to take a look, she found out that the two-man pedal-powered machine saw placed inside was gone.

She was surprised and curious as to where it was.  
  
There doesn’t seem to be any project necessitating their usage lined up, so who could have taken them? Hocha walked outside and saw a newly made tire track on the grass leading to a different direction than the path leading to town.

She raised one of her eyebrows and after contemplating for a minute, she decided that following down whoever used the machine would be a better reason to ditch helping the others.  
  
The trail taken by whoever using the machine saw was leading to an out of the way beach in the southern part of the island. She had been there once and it wasn’t a nice place to relax since the wave was too strong to comfortably swim in.

When the beach was visible behind the outcropping and the trees surrounding it, she found out who brought out the machine from the sheds.  
  
She couldn’t help but curl the edge of her lips up knowing who they were. Of course, it was the two tireless siblings who would want to use it in the morning. As she walked in closer, Yord looked back toward her and waved while Wuld disregarded her and kept doing whatever he was doing.  
  
“Hey, Yord.” She looked around and saw that surrounding the machine saw was the planer and other assorted wood-working tools. “Busy?”  
  
“Yeah, I was bored and Wuld wanted me to help him make something.”  
  
She saw that the two siblings were using the woodworking tool to shape a long unbroken wooden plank to a strange shape that she hadn’t seen before. It was thin, had a curved rounded tip on both ends.

Wuld was currently busy sticking a small wood that was shaped like a shark fin on one of its ends using a screwdriver.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Wuld says it was a surfboard.”  
  
The strange shape and the name made Hocha really curious, and she waited for Yord to finish tying a cord to the board before asking her question.  
  
“What’re you going to use it for?”  
  
“Uhh... I don’t know?” it looked like Yord haven’t thought out what the wooden board is going to be used for “What’s it for, Wuld?”  
  
Wuld ignored them for a while before answering them “To ride the waves.”


	9. Ember Part 3

Toroa 21 May 1500  
  
PoV: Yord  
  
  
When Wuld dragged him to cut a tree this morning, he agreed because Wuld usually had a strange and fun idea that could relieve boredom. It was also because Wuld stopped their daily exercise schedule to do something else.

Yord might have appreciated the concern Wuld showed him, making him exercise so he could be strong and so that Yord ‘won’t die like a bitch’ in the fantastical part of the sea named Grandline, but sometimes it felt too much.  
  
When Yord started his ‘getting strong training’, Wuld had him running until his knees felt weak and he panted like a drowned dog while Wuld measured the distance he traveled as he followed him along.

It was so pathetic having his toddler brother looking fine while he felt like his lungs had dropped somewhere and made him had trouble breathing.  
  
And when he caught his breath, Wuld made him hold a pulley connected to the weight and added more weight until he had to let go of it out of its heaviness. He didn’t even know where he got the pulley from and how he set it up so he could use it to measure Yord’s weight lifting limit.  
  
Yord had asked Wuld just what he actually wanted, and he answered that he was establishing a baseline. The day after the next had him do another running, but Wuld made him bring along a bag filled with a fistful of sand.

When he reached the utmost distance he traversed the previous time, he wanted to rest, but Wuld forced him to add another meter to the distance he had to run.  
  
By the span of a three day, he understood that Wuld actually gave him a gradual obstacle that he had to overcome. Adding another meter and another fistful of sand every single day. Their parent had to cook them a bigger portion of food after he trained for a month together with Wuld.

It’s a good thing his father was a lone child of a moderately well to do family so they wouldn’t need to worry about the addition toward the necessary amount of their sustenance.  
  
He had found out that he was stronger than other people his age, and his strength even grew beyond average adults on the island.

But it was still dull having to exercise every day, only stopping rarely when Wuld was not in the mood to drag and push him toward training.  
  
He had a tendency to quickly feel bored with any repetitive task, hence even doing something like crafting what would definitely be another ‘training aid’ was a welcome distraction.

He didn’t ask what the wooden board would be used for since he wanted to be pleasantly surprised if the thing he made actually were fun to use.  
  
At first, the board was just a random uninteresting square-shaped board, but they shaped it bit by bit to make both of their ends become curved.

Yord didn’t know why they cut two differently sized board out of the trees they felled down this morning and why did they work on the smaller one first, but he didn’t complain.  
  
When the smaller board was halfway done, he saw Hocha coming out from behind the trees and outcropping. He paused his planing for a bit, waving at her in acknowledgment. Judging at how she roamed her eyes around the place, noting all the machinery we used, she was probably looking for them.

Or she might just felt curious about why we used the machinery and just happen to find this section of the beach by chance. It didn’t really matter which is which, though.  
  
  
...[]  
  
  
Hocha paused her gaze on the surfboard he currently smoothened and made an expression that people usually used to signify that they had come into a particular conclusion. Yord wondered what it might have been.  
  
“So... it’s a type of boat”.  
  
Such a random conclusion. By noting the small pause and one raised eyebrow, Yord knew that Wuld was getting annoyed.

Yord was inwardly debating whether he really wanted to know what the surfboard actually is - and let Hocha drew the fire – or run interference – in case Wuld decided to shoo away Hocha.  
  
“...A boat didn’t look like this.” Yord decided to answer. It would be more fun to get Hocha to play in the water with them instead of just playing with Wuld.  
  
“Swimming aid for an anchor?” Yord almost couldn't hold his laugh.  
  
Wuld looked at Hocha in the eye and answered: “...No.”  
  
“You said you ride the waves on it, but it’s... thin and could be easily capsized... Well, what else it could have been?” Hocha insisted on trying to know but Wuld scoffed and turned his head away, ignored her.  
  
When Hocha pouted, Yord laughed and placated her, “ Just wait patiently, it looked like it’s almost done.”  
  
After another smoothening and shaping the surfboard, Wuld nodded in satisfaction. He looked at Yord, ignoring a shining eyed Hocha in the side.  
  
“It’s done.” Wuld traced his palm along the contour of the surfboard before asking Yord “Do you want to try?”  
  
“After you, Wuld.” Yord answered diplomatically.  
  
Wuld made a sneer that looked cute in his childish face and said: “Wimp.”  
  
“Hey, that’s uncalled for! I don’t even know what and how it was used, Wuld!”  
  
Hocha let out an unladylike snort and put her palm on her mouth in surprise. When Yord and Wuld raised their eyebrows at her mirth, she giggled in a sheepish way.  
  
Wuld got up and lifted the board, carrying it toward the water. He lied down on his stomach and paddled seaward.  
  
“It’s actually a swimming aid, how cute!” Hocha exclaimed.  
  
“Shush, he’ll kick you out if you make trouble.”  
  
“Okay!” Hocha answered with an expression full of glee.  
  
After paddling for a while, Wuld stopped and crouched down above the surfboard. When the wave came, he did something that made the board moved forward beautifully, following the movement of the waves. The sight was so cool that suddenly Yord felt that he had to do it and experience how cool it is to ride the waves.  
  
“Let me try, Wuld!” Yord ran into the water toward Wuld’s side.  
  
When he reached him and held the surfboard, Wuld looked at him in an apparent deliberation before shrugging and got off. Yord got above the surfboard and paddled furiously seaward in the direction where the previous big waves came from.  
  
Yord stopped the surfboard and tried to stand above it. He imagined how handsome he would look riding the wave with a cool pose. When the wave came, he braced his feet and prepared the cool pose he had in his mind.  
  
And plunged into the water.  
  
He heard Hocha laughed good-naturedly when he surfaced.


	10. Ember Part 4

Toroa, June 20th, 1500  
  
PoV: Yord  
  


* * *

After a month adjusting himself on how to use the surfboard, Yord felt confident that he would be able to keep his balance above it in most kinds of situations. Riding a very high and very fast rolling sea waves above a flimsy wooden board, such a strange way of having fun is something invigorating that had chased away all the boredom he felt.  
  
When he saw the way Wuld used the board to ride the waves, he was intrigued and wanted to try. He had thought that surfing was easy enough and he could master it in a short time.

But then he found out how hard it is stabilizing his body above the fast current of water and had the experience of being swallowed by the breaking waves. And before he knew it, he went to the sea every time he had no other obligation and spend a lot of time surfing.  
  
Compared to the training he had where he ran around the island every day in a progressively farther distance and carrying a increasingly heavier burden, he thought surfing was better.

He knew that his daily training made him stronger each consecutive days he did it, but it felt so monotonous that he wanted to just skip it to go surfing were it not for Wuld continuous encouragement.  
  
Now surfing becomes the highlight of his day. It might have been as monotonous as the training if viewed from outside, but it felt different for him. From the very first day where he couldn’t keep himself above the board to this time, every single day felt like a different experience.

He could clearly see his own improvement because no two waves are the same and accomplishing a trick with the surfboard didn’t mean that he would succeed again when another wave came.  
  
Every time he was free, he would bring the surfboard to the beach and paddled seawards. Then he would stand patiently above the water waiting for the waves to propel him ashore. He already had a lot of experience with the waves, and now he could approximate how high and how ferocious the wave would be. He would also fix his posture so that he wouldn’t overbalance when the waves break.  
  
Sometimes when he was lucky, he would succeed in placing himself in front of the breaking waves, so that he could experience a tube riding. But most of the time, he would end up in a wipeout right when the waves break above his head.

That’s why when he succeeded in riding it toward the shore, he would feel so happy and upbeat for the rest of the day.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Yord actually wanted to go to the beach to spend another day relaxing above the sea, but when he caught the sight of the calendar near the door, he put down the wooden surfboard. He walked back in and saw his mother busying herself in the pantry, making note of the grain and other foodstuff left inside.  
  
“Mom,” Yord called her from the door, and when she looked at him continued. “isn’t Wuld’s birthday tomorrow?”  
  
“Yeah, it is” She smiled at Yord and put her hand on her hip.”Why?”  
  
“Celebrating it?”  
  
“Of course we’re going to celebrate it.”  
  
“I thought you weren’t after his recent stunt in November.”  
  
She laughed candidly, tilting her head back and look at Yord from the corner of her eyes. “Well, this and that are different.”  
  
Yord raised one of his eyebrows and deliberated for a moment before asking, “Need help?”  
  
“I was going to send you to buy things we didn’t have...” she paused to look at the foodstuff in the pantry and swept her long reddish-brown hair behind her ear, “after I’m done taking stock of what we have and what we didn’t.“  
  
Yord shuffled in place before turning back and said over his shoulder as he walked away.“I’m in the porch when you need me.”  
  
As he walked away, he heard his mother asked him in her usual style “Come to think of it.” He paused to hear her next sentence, ”Did he wanted some specific gift for his birthday?”  
  
“Not really” Yord paused to think briefly, and concluded. “I guess he didn’t even remember that tomorrow is his birthday.”  
  
“So...” His mother put her right hand on her chin, index finger tapping on her lips, “Surprise celebration?”  
  
“Can we even distract him for a whole day while we make him his surprise party?” Yord felt skeptical over the surprise birthday party, after all, Wuld can be perceptive at times that hiding a secret from him is a lost cause.  
  
“Well, you think of something.” His mother playfully answered.  
  
Yord turned back to give her a look of incredulity before putting his palm in his face and using it to massage his brow. “Mother, please be reasonable.” He sighed helplessly before putting his hand down and asked: ”What’re you and dad going to give him?”  
  
His mother changed her posture to stand straight and crossed her arms in front of her body. She fixed her gaze toward Yord and said in a serious tone “It’s either food or money.”  
  
Yord wanted to retort about her ridiculous gift choice, but swallowed his words when he considered that he hadn’t even thought what he would give Wuld for his birthday tomorrow. He settled by saying something about her plan of surprise celebration.  
  
“Well, just be like usual, I guess.” He pondered the plan briefly inside his head before continuing “If he didn't know about it until all is done then it will be a secret celebration, and if he caught up that we will celebrate his birthday, then make it a normal non-secret celebration.”  
  
“Well, you’re no fun, son.” His mother scoffed ”secret birthday party is more joyful than a normal birthday.”  
  
Yord helplessly shook his head and turned around, “I’m going to sit on the porch. Call if you need me, mom.”  
  
Since his mother didn’t say anything anymore, Yord proceeded toward the porch without stopping. he had to think about what kind of birthday gift would make Wuld satisfied.

After all, Wuld already gave him the best gift against boredom in the shape of his surfing activity.  
  
It's only a common sense for him to reciprocate.


	11. Ember Part 5

Toroa, June 20th, 1500  
  
PoV: Hocha  
  


* * *

While the new library in Toroa Island had a residence hall for library personnel built into it, most of the researchers still prefer to rent a place or buy a house in Haruka town proper. So even if the library was already functional, there were still some scholars of Ohara who can be seen walking around in Haruka town.

Whenever their shift at the library was done, they would mingle with the locals and carry on like how they usually did on Ohara.  
  
Hocha was one of the people who rent out a room in the town, and she didn’t move into the library proper even if library residence was free. Hocha remained to rent a room at Haruka town because she felt that living together with other people in the library’s residence hall would mean that she wouldn’t be able to laze around whenever she felt like.  
  
It might have been okay to laze around and delay housework if she did choose to move in, but she didn’t want others to know that she liked to live sloppily. Roche had already liked to tease her as it is, and he didn’t know how she acted at home.

Other people would also easily know that she like to delay doing things she thought of as inconsequential If she moved in with the other to live at the library residence hall.  
  
And while the teasings were not malicious, and being teased as a lazy person wouldn’t actually bother her, she still didn’t want Roche – or others who were actually being malicious – to have another ammo that they could use to tease.

A girl had to have her pride and a clean reputation, even if both were actually non-existent.  
  
And after half a year living in Toroa to oversaw and to care for the books, Hocha slowly went back to her usual routine. She would put off any cleaning and other non-essential activity when she felt it was such a bother to do it.

She would delay until the place she lived in started to feel uncomfortable because the hygiene level was lowered too much before she would bother picking a broom.  
  
Or she would wait until she had to do things she didn’t want to do and pick up a broom and sweep the place to put off doing it.  
  
When she had the mood to do it, she would clean the place until everything was tidy and there was no more dust in the hidden corner. But sometimes her mood vanished halfway, and she felt that she didn’t want to continue like what happened this day.

She had already designated the day as a cleaning day since a week ago, but looking at the pile of paperwork in the table made her want to find other things to do.  
  
And as Hocha lounged about in front of the table, she chanced upon the sight of Yord coming out of one of the grocer’s shops carrying a lot of things effortlessly. She looked around the room at her unfinished chore and shrugged her shoulder, abandoning it as a lost cause.

She might as well see what Yord got up to because he usually had an interesting way to pass the time.  
  
  
...  
  
  
When she passed by the crowd of townspeople going through their day and could see him again, he was already walked to the direction of his home. She walked faster to chase him while doing a cursory inspection of what he bought off the grocer to try to guess what he was going to do.  
  
To her dismay, it was mostly foodstuffs so it would mean that he was just out to do grocery shopping. She was hoping that she could amuse herself by watching Yord – and his brother – doing something interesting, but it looked like today was just not the day for that.

She was going to walk away to find other things to pass the time, but Yord saw her walking closer so she decided to at least say hi.  
  
“Grocery shopping?” after the usual exchange of greeting, Hocha asked while gesturing with her chin towards the goods that Yord carried on his shoulder.  
  
“Yeah, for tomorrow.”  
  
“What’s happening tomorrow?” Hocha suddenly felt curious, buying food in a large quantity and specifying it for tomorrow’s consumption. What kind of event did he arrange for tomorrow? she might have found something interesting to pass the time.  
  
“It’s a birthday party,” Yord answered. When she raised one of her eyebrows in querying expression, he continued “Wuld.”  
  
“Oh, so it’s for him.” Hocha paused before voicing over what she wondered about for quite a long time.“how old is he anyway?”  
  
“Five, tomorrow,” Yord answered easily without slowing his stride, while Hocha paused in shock.  
  
”Really? I thought with his...” “ she chased Yord who kept walking and match his stride while using her arm to trace an abstract gesture to emphasize what she said. “...he would be older than that.”  
  
“Well, he’s been like that since...” Yord looked up in thought and suddenly he stumbled over a sticking out stone tile in the path, but he righted himself promptly even before what he carried could tilt over. He looked down and fix his hold over what he carried before continuing his conversation “...since he was 3, I think.”  
  
Yord watched with amazement over the ease in which Yord righted himself. Were she be the one in his place, she would definitely fall down and injured herself.  
  
Hocha was busy imagining things that she didn’t watch where she stepped. She stumbled over another loose stone and almost planting her face to the ground but York caught the collar of her jacket and stopped her.  
  
“Be careful of where you step,” Yord told her with a smile. Hocha who was held by the back of her collar like a cat could only smile sheepishly.  
  
When she successfully stand up again and continued walking, she found out that Yord had stopped. She looked back and saw that he was looking in the direction of the sea beyond the Haruka Town, narrowing his eyes to inspect something in the distance.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Did you see that?” Yord gestured using his free arm toward something in the distance. “I think it was a ship... is it one of yours?”  
  
Hocha narrowed her eyes and even held her palm above her eye to provide cover from sunlight but she could only see a small speck of something in the distance. “Really? I can’t see anything at all.”  
  
Yord looked at her with a considering gaze after hearing her answer before turning back to continue walking. He shook his head and said: “I guess it didn’t really matter. We'll know sooner or later”  
  
Hocha stopped in place, torn between following Yord’s home or walking back toward Haruka Town and waited at the dock for the ship to land there.


	12. Ember Part 6

Toroa, June 20th, 1500

Pov Hocha

* * *

After deliberating for a while, Hocha decided to head up to the dock to see what kind of ship would land in the dock and who had come aboard it. She did felt skeptic over whether there was actually a ship in the distance or not, but she never saw Yord lie before, except by omission of fact as a joke.

But when she reached the dock, she could make out a small shape in the distance that grew bigger with the passing of the time. At first, it was just an indistinct blurry shape made so by the reflection of the sun in the water.

Then it gets bigger, and though he couldn’t see any emblem in the sail to proclaim the ship's affiliation, Hocha could see one of the sail had a large rip on it.

And getting even close, she could see that some part of the ship had a hole on it, and the other was charred like it had been set on fire. The people on the ship still looked indistinct, but she could make up the color and the stu=yle of clothing worn by the crew.

It looked like a normal fishing boat, but there was someone standing in shade lurking and hiding their face under the hood they wore.

It still took a while before the ship got close, and by the time the gangplank was placed, her legs were asleep.

The crew secured the ship on the dock and anchored it while the passengers streamed out of the cabin and waited until the ship fully stopped and tied safely to one of the pillars on the dock. Hocha intended to stand up and walk away when her leg had stopped feeling numb since it looked like there was anyone she recognizes there.

But then she saw that some of the passengers looked off, even if there was nothing too suspicious about it. The passenger alighted from the ship one by one, and she saw suspicious hooded one tried their hard to keep themselves by delaying to step off the ship until everybody else were already gone.

When she squinted her eyes she could see something white fluttering under the hood of the one she had seen lurking above deck. Something about it seemed so familiar to Hocha but she couldn’t remember what it actually was.

And suddenly she was brought out of her musing by the low sound of *tap**tap**tap* that she heard coming closer. It was Robin walking toward the gangplank followed by the suspicious hooded person who was hidden under the costume that left no part of the skin exposed. It took a couple of seconds before Hocha made the obvious connection and exclaimed:

“Olvia!”

“Ssshhh” one of the weird passengers of the ship shushed her from the side. She jumped up in place, the numb feet holding her up for a second before she fell face down. From her place lying down on the ground, she saw the one shushing her was standing behind the place she previously sits in.

The other passenger that looked off also stopped nearby, and from their shaking shoulder, she could tell that they were laughing and felt amused over her surprise.

Hocha glared at them briefly, noting each individual with an annoyed gaze before finding out what made them looked off. one of them had a large nose that looked like it had been pasted on, one had a birthmark as big as the nail of her little finger, and the other had a bushy lopsided mustache.

‘Of course they looked weird, turned out that they were a disguised person and they put their disguise wrong’, she complained inwardly.

Olvia – face still hidden under the hood – walked closer and offered her hands to pull Hocha up. Robin who was walking in front of the former stopped stood akimbo and admonished the one who surprised Hocha by pouting at him. He looked sheepish being admonished while the other stopped holding back and laughed obnoxiously.

“Seriously, why are you shushing me for?” Hocha complained when she stood, and she briefly saw Olvia smiled wrily over her complaint before answering her.

“It’s because of me.”

“Huh?”

“She got spotted and given a bounty when we were seeking a Poneglyph hidden on one island.” The fake nose chimed in, waving the bounty poster depicting Olvia standing in front of something that was aflame.

“The one in that place is very hidden, only a small part of the inhabitant knows of its existence.” Olvia swept her gaze toward the surroundings, and continued when she saw that there were no uninvolved people trying to eavesdrop. “but the way there is well guarded since it was in the complex of the kingdom’s tomb.”

“We had requested to see the Poneglyph over the King when he gave us an audience, but he refused to be involved with it for fear of what the world government would do to his kingdom for letting us through.” The askew mustache explained.

“When the other had given up and intended to depart to another location, I insisted to go by myself to copy the Poneglyph.” Olvia grimaced over her recollection and smoothed her expression before continuing. “I was sure that it was a Rio Poneglyph. I had to find out what it says...”

“Then she got a bounty on her head.” The birthmark guy mused briefly, ”we’re actually not sure that she was given a bounty for trying to read the Poneglyph or because she barged into the Tomb.”

“It’s because of the Poneglyph.” Someone suddenly chimed up. Olvia and the other jumped in surprise while Robin smiled prettily seeing the one who spoke. Hocha only rolled her eyes over Wuld’s penchant for dramatic.

“How are you so sure?” the fake nose exclaimed.

“Gold Roger had a big bounty and called the King of Pirates because he could also read the Poneglyph. he continued serenely “He used the road Poneglyph to reach the Great Kingdom’s Birthplace.” He smirked teasingly, “It’s a shame that you guys couldn’t just hitchhike, huh?”

When everybody fell silent over the sudden revelation, Wuld suddenly asked another question “Did your ship get caught?“

Olvia watched Wuld intently before answering”...No. We were fortunate to get the message from home, and we dumped all the things that could be linked to Ohara in the sea before sinking it somewhere.”

“Good.” Wuld nodded in satisfaction before making an observation. ”if you didn’t take that much precaution, they would infer where you come and followed you guys home.” He paused, adding ”Aren’t you glad that you’re the only one with a bounty?”

“But if she was being wanted because of Poneglyph, why weren’t us too?” when the other stared at him incredulously, the birthmark stuttered along”...for solidarity?”

“Because you’re just a redshirt.”

“Huh?”

“You guys are unimportant peoples whose death didn’t even call for even a footnote” Robin giggled quietly when the three people crouched down in despair, while Olvia was shocked over her daughter's taste in joke.

Olvia let out a deep sigh before turning her head towards Hocha “...let’s talk over this in another place.”

Hocha agreed and she walked to the direction of the library while Olvia gestured at Robin to come over. Robin looked toward Wuld who was busy poking fun at the three before charging over and clung at Olvia’s waist and looked up.

“Mother, can I play at my friend’s house?” she looked back briefly toward Wuld before looking up at her mother again.

Olvia made a tiny frown, looking conflicted before Hocha cut in ”I know where his house is.”

Olvia fixed her gaze at Hocha before nodding and looked down toward her daughter. “Don’t run around. I will pick you up later when I’m done.”

“Yes, Mother!” Robin beamed happily before running over toward Wuld – who was having the time of his life bullying older people – and grabbed his hand. They both watched the kids speaking excitedly – in robin’s case, while Wuld responded in his distinct unaffected tone – before Olvia gestured with her chin toward the path.

“Sure, the library is this way,” Hocha said with a smile and started to lead the way.


	13. Ember Part 7

Toroa, June 21st, 1500

PoV: Yord

* * *

Keeping Wuld away for a day so that he could have a secret surprise birthday was easier than what Yord had thought with the addition of the newcomers. After the usual morning exercise, while he was still thinking whether he proceeded to distract Wuld or not, Robin came bounding away from the direction of the library.

She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and had her hair in a twintail, instead of leaving it straight like whenever he saw her. Robin looked really happy – smiling so wide –seeing that Wuld was still home with him.

He had thought that she wouldn’t be visiting again so soon after yesterday and would just spend her time together with her mother or something. Wasn’t her mother someone she hadn’t seen since she was still a baby? Is it something like a lonely child latching on someone her age who didn’t reject and fear her?

In any case, he took advantage of the situation and bring the two kids to play in the hidden beach. He let them walk in front, with Yord leading Robin while he followed behind them carrying two wooden surfboards.

As he watched them interact – Robin smiled happily and talking animatedly interspersed with Wuld’s response – he wondered inwardly.

Was the time she spent with her mother Olvia actually less than the time she spent with Wuld? And judging from the way the ship they came in looked like, they hadn’t stopped in Ohara that long. Maybe they briefly docked to get Robin aboard and hastened to sail here.

When he saw the ship appeared on the horizon yesterday, Yord actually wanted to stop and see as it approached the dock. But he was still in the middle of an errand, so he could only walk away to go home and help his mother. They were surprisingly busy that when he could finally go toward the dock, everybody but the crew of the ship was already gone. He only saw a damaged ship with many holes and sail with a large rip that was mended with stitching.

Seriously, when one of the sail had a large rip, people should fix it better than just stitching it together haphazardly. Or just buy a new sail. Ohara had a dock, even if it was small. Someone must have some ship paraphernalia like a sail to sell them, and they could exchange the damaged one with the new while waiting for their business in Ohara to be concluded.

But as he kept walking, another thought came up in his head; If even they stopped to pick up Robin at all. They might have just stopped the ship in the middle of the sea and had someone row a boat to bring Robin from the Ohara before continuing to sail here.

After all, he saw a bounty poster for Robin’s mom in the desk where the one who had a library monitor shift sat.

They might be to spooked to land, hence the dismal state of the ship they sailed on. But if that was the case, that would mean that the time Robin spent with her mom was even less. Why would she let her running around with Wuld instead of doing a Mother-Daughter bonding activity herself? Was she busy with something in the library?

While Yord was busy letting his mind wander, they already reached the beach. Wuld slowed down his walk to get near him and took away one of the wooden surfboards he carried. Yord just smiled looking at the way Wuld tried to show off his surfing skill on Robin. Well, that would mean that he didn’t need to spend any effort in distracting him.

Yord sat down and decided that he would just be a bystander today, watching two kids playing in the water instead of surfing like he usually did whenever he was in the beach.

* * *

At first, it was Wuld showcasing his skill with a surfboard, and Robin sitting at the edge of the water, happily cheering at him. Wuld paddled seawards, standing to wait for the wave to swell and break before riding it ashore. Before long, Robin who sat by the beach looked tempted to try but she visibly restrained herself since she knew that she would drown because of her Devil Fruit power.

Wuld who was usually so insensitive saw that she wanted to have a go, so he talked with her for a while before letting her above the surfboard. Yord wanted to warn him the danger of placing someone like her in a precarious position above the water, but then he remembered that Wuld already knew that she wouldn’t be able to swim.

So he restrained himself from saying an unnecessary thing. But he still walked closer so he could help save her from drowning.

When Robin was settled above the surfboard, Wuld didn’t actually let her off from his supervision and stay close to her. Robin sat above the Surfboard, bobbing up and down from the wave, and before long, the anxious frown on her face was replaced with a nervous smile. 

Wuld fixed his gaze toward her for a while before glancing at Yord.

“Hey, since you are idle and free, let me have your surfboard while she plays with mine.”

“What about her?” Robin, who was starting to relax tensed.

“You watch her. I wanted to try something.” Wuld didn’t wait for an answer and run toward where he left his surfboard and brought it to the water.

Yord frowned at Wuld’s behavior before sighing and exchange glances with Robin. Robin was still nervous and held onto the board she sat on gripping it tightly until her knuckle turned white, but she still gave him a tight smile when Yord glanced at her.

Yord let out another sigh before reassuring her“...relax, I’ll watch over you.”

Robin nodded and a little bit of tenseness left her posture. Before long, she started to kick her legs in the water, necessitating Yord to hold the surfboard in place so it wouldn’t drift away. Both of them stayed in place while turning their gaze toward the direction where the last member of their group went.

Meanwhile, Wuld was paddling over to the part of the beach where the wave was calmest and stopped there.

He stood above the surfboard and lifted one of his legs, before kicking toward the water. He plunged into the water from overbalance, and Robin burst in a fit of giggling while Yord only smirked before quipping.

“What do you want to try?” Wuld surfaced and looked toward him “How to jump into the water?”

“Ugh, shut up, bro!” Wuld climbed above the surfboard again and grumbled. “I’m sick of paddling, you know?”

“And?”

“When people hit the water fast enough, they could die from breaking all their bones.”

“And you want to use your leg to push the board?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” Wuld nodded before repeating what he did before, this time he fell on his knee before he could plunge into the water, but the surfboard flipped over and he fell into the water again. Yord could only smile wryly and shook his head before turning his face toward Robin.

“Hey, do you want to feel how it feels to be surfing?”

Robin tilted her head at him and bit her lips before answering“But I can’t swim...”

Yord smiled reassuringly at her, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“How?”

“Let’s get over here...” Yord turned and dragged the surfboard toward the deeper water, while Robin grabbed at the edge of the board. He looked around before nodding at Robin“Over here is okay.”

“...Umm, how would I do it?”

“Crouch above the board, and put one of your knees on it.” Yord started, ”Yeah, balance yourself with your hand.”

“...Okay?”

“Then I would push you toward the shore.” Before Robin could answer, Yord pushed the surfboard “Now!”

“hyaa!” Robin shrieked out of a sudden surprise, but she could keep herself above the board by sprouting two pairs of hands that promptly gripped the board. When she reached the beach, she still looked shocked and didn’t release her grip.

Yord came closer and frowned in worry over spooking her. “Hey, are you okay?”

Robin turned her gaze on him, her eye trembled and watering. Before Yord could apologize and soothe her, she mumbled under her breath.

“What?”

“Let’s do it again!” Robin said excitedly, in contrast with her shaking arm and watery eye.

* * *

When they went back home after a long day of playing in the sea, they saw Robin’s mother and Hocha talking with a serious face outside. Wuld and Robin went over, and instead of picking her up and went back toward her own place, The two women stepped over to the front porch. Wuld looked toward the two for a while before stepping to open the door.

Yord was still outside the fence, busy letting his mind wander. When the surprise birthday celebration started, his mind still in a whirl, considering the implication of Wuld’s success propelling his surfboard using his foot. He might have failed more than his success, and could only propel the board over a limited distance, but Yord still thought that it was something interesting to try.

Maybe he would try it himself tomorrow when he went surfing.


	14. Ember Part 8

Toroa, June 21th, 1500

PoV: Yord

* * *

The party began when Wuld stepped over the threshold of the house. Wuld didn’t look surprised or even fazed, but for someone like Yord who had known Wuld since he was a little baby, it was clear that Wuld was pleasantly surprised.

A lot of people had come over to celebrate his birthday, from neighbors to people from over the town who had interacted with him like the blacksmiths and the carpenters, to everyone from the library.

They sang together and wished him happiness, long-living, and other various well wishes, before handing him the various gift they brought him. They urged him to open the gift promptly, and they cheered up for every gift that was revealed. Wuld smiled softly at the start, and before long he smiled as wide as Robin’s smile, and he was so giddy that he vibrated in place.

From the various gift he had been given with, Yord only noted the gift given by the scholars. As expected of learned men, they knew what kind of gift that would be more than a short term one or decorative useless thing. They gave him a form of ownership of part of the share they got from marketing the tools they had made, like the one-wheeled hand cart. the pedal-powered machine saw the planer, the drills, and other things.

The funniest one was the gift from their parent. Wuld got something really big from their mother, and when he happily opened its cover, it was food.

A big pile of snack and dry goods that would last him for a month – a year if he was some other kids lke the one who lived in the town – and a recipe book. While the one from their father was a box stuffed to the brim with bundles of bellies.

The party had winded down an hour or so ago and all the participants started to went back home or drop down to fall asleep. As the first one fell down on the tiled floor, their parent took out bedrolls and blanket and pushed them to roll above the bedroll. The other walked closer and got their own bedrolls and blanket before curling down and turned the birthday party to a party of sleepovers. It was a bit surprising that the one who fell asleep first wasn’t the kids, but other invitees who got too much alcohol to drink.

It was still another hour of Robin trying to cram all the fun she could have had in the birthday of her only friend in this island, and Wuld reluctantly playing laong with her. And then when Robin couldn’t hold back her yawn anymore, Wuld accompanied her on a two bedroll that he put side by side on the tiled floor of their house.

Yord held back his smile seeing Wuld looking uncomfortably irritated having to accompany Robin to lie down on the bedroll he placed near the wall. He made a look at Robin’s mother, his gaze pleading for her to do something about her daughter. Olvia only smiled slightly and let out a soft sigh, placing her palm on her cheek while tilting her head. Robin happily snuggled on Wuld’s arm, eyes closed and with a wide smile that didnt fade for a long time.

When Robin finally fell asleep, Wuld tried to pry her off but instead succeeding, he had gotten more tangled up with her. Robin rolled over and pinned his stomach, sleeping with her face down and arm hugging Wuld’s tightly. Wuld grimaced, let out a put upon sigh and closed his eyes to sleep. He looked uncomfortable being glomped and elbowed by Robin, but it only took a couple of minute before his breath evened out.

* * *

Yord was still occupied with feasting when most of the scholars – who hadn’t fallen asleep yet – moved away to another part of the house. He was a bit curious about what they would do, but judging from the way the one who walked away to talk – Robin’s mother and her colleague – kept glancing down toward the sleeping form of Robin, it was something related to her. or it might be something about Ohara.

It was probably something that would unlikely be important for him, so Yord shrugged and kept eating. But even when they walked away, Yord could still hear snippets of their conversation. It was like they moved away for the sake of formality instead to secretly discuss something. But then again, Robin was still fast asleep, so they were still successful enough to keep the content of their conversation away from Robin.

She could easily eavesdrop over people’s conversation even when she wasn’t sticking her ear to the wall after all.

Suddenly Wuld, who was still pinned tightly under Robin twitched and opened his eyes. He wiggled out slowly to pry her off him, but it was so slow going. Yord glanced briefly toward their direction and resumed eating. But he paused when it occurred to him that maybe Wuld wanted to go to the bathroom.

So he walked closer and helped Wuld to get off of Robin’s surprisingly tight grab. It was another couple of minutes before he could transfer her crushing grip toward pillows and blanket he took out of Wuld’s room. Wuld huffed and stretched out his body after he stood up from the bedroll.

“Bathroom?” Yord asked absently.

“...No.” Wuld was taken aback and paused to think briefly before answering Yord’s inquiry. He suddenly smiled wide and stepped closer, looking up at Yord.

“Hey, hey big bro!” he whispered

“Hnn”

“Guess what I just got?”

“Stomach ache?”Wuld wrinkled his nose. Yord continued ”a good dream?”

“It’s not a dream,” Wuld paused and put his finger on his chin “well, technically it was a dream, but the content was something that could be applicated toward real life.”

“...what?”Yord mulled over his thought over the food he chewed before reluctantly asked.

“I finally got my cheat!”

“Really?”

“Yup, I’ll show you.” Wuld walked toward a somewhat open and clean place from any trashes and sleeping people, and started to move in a strange way.

Wuld contorted himself this way and that, and doing things that were even stranger than the ‘yoga and stretching’ exercise that he forced on Yord when the former started training him.

The exercise looked way more difficult than all the other exercise Wuld had shown him how to do. Wuld was so focused to finish the exercise, and his sweat gleamed down and started to flow in rivulets the longer the exercise being carried out.

Yord thought that would be problematic and more troublesome when Wuld eventually forced him to do this current exercise. He wouldn’t have time to do anything else like having fun.

Nearing the end of Wuld’s demonstration, he had already steeled himself to refuse to learn it. The only thing left was to find the excuse why.

“So that’s the cheat I got. It’s Rosenberg’s body tempering exercise. Do you want to try it?”

“Maybe later, Wuld. Cheat?”

“Of course! I am a protagonist after all! hehehe” Wuld spoke smugly and full of self-satisfaction.

“You’re gonna teach anyone that?”

“Of course!” but then Wuld paused “Well, not everyone. Maybe you and only some other people. It would be bad to have this spread to the populace.”

“Good for you. it would be bad if just about Everyone got it, right?”

“Yeah,” Wuld scowled and sat down to regulate his breath. And then he tilted his head and asked,” What're those people talked about?”He pointed toward the place where the scholars gathered to talk.

“I think it was about sailing again somewhere else to muddy the track or something.” Yord chewed his chicken leg and swallowed before continuing, “Olvia had a bounty and was still pursued when she was around Ohara.”

“Oh.” Wuld nodded and sat for a while before he jerked in place and beat a closed fist on his upraised palm, “I got an idea for a destination they should go!”

“Why don’t you tell them then?”

“Of course I will!” Wuld stood up and ran toward the sound of conversation while Yord shook his head amusedly and took a glass of syrup water to wet his throat. He still had another couple of plates filled with fried chicken to clean up.

* * *


End file.
